Spellbound
| Spellbound | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Game No. | 548 | |
| Voting | 8.00 points, 1 votes | |
| Developer | David Jones, Richard Darling | |
| Publisher | Mastertronic | |
| Musician | Rob Hubbard | |
| Release | 1986 | |
| Platform | ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, C64, Atari 400/800 | |
| Genre | Adventure | |
| Gamemode | Single player | |
| Operation |   
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| Media |  
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| Language | 
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| Information | Series:
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Description[edit | edit source]
Spellbound is a graphic adventure game that spans 50 screens and is presented using a flick-screen technique. As a magical knight, the player must, within a limited time, free the wizard Gimbal, look after some characters he has accidentally teleported, and ultimately return them home. To do this, the knight can use items scattered throughout the castle rooms and also ask the characters themselves for help.
Spellbound is the second game in a four-part series centered on the magical knight. It is thus the successor to Finders Keepers, but it does not build upon its content and therefore requires no prior knowledge.
Backstory[edit | edit source]
Gimbal the wizard is not only getting old, but also increasingly absent-minded. In an attempt to make his rice porridge more palatable using ancient spells, he made a translation error that not only paralyzed and rendered him invisible, but also teleported a whole host of characters from distant places and different eras to his magic castle, Karn. Since these characters are still dazed from their long journey, the player takes on the role of the magic knight and, responding to Gimbal's plea for help, undertakes the task of caring for them, freeing the wizard, and ultimately bringing all the characters safely home.
Design[edit | edit source]
Gimbal's magic castle is lovingly designed with numerous details, but the depictions of the individual rooms are noticeably composed of a small number of repetitive elements. This creates an atmospheric castle, but in some places it becomes somewhat monotonous. The game is accompanied by a background melody that fits the mysterious tasks of the magical knight, as well as by some sound effects, such as the sounds of the elevator.
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Graphics[edit | edit source]
The graphics are rendered in monochrome bitmap mode, with only a 256x152 pixel section used for the castle scenes. Since only one screen page is reserved for this in the Commodore 64's main memory (at address $6000, with the corresponding color information in the screen memory starting at address $4000), a mixture of old and new screen content is visible for about 0.4 seconds when transitioning from one screen to the next.
Only the magic knight, the cursor in the menus, and some magic balls that fly around three rooms of the castle and drain the knight's strength upon contact are represented by sprites. These are fixed: Sprite 0 for the cursor, Sprites 1 and 2 for the magic knight (composed of two single-sized monochrome sprites), and Sprites 3–6 for the balls (Sprite 7 is not used). To determine whether the knight has been hit by one of the magic balls, the game relies on the collision detection of the VIC (register $D01E). All other elements, especially all other characters and objects scattered throughout the castle, are incorporated into the bitmap representations. If objects overlap with each other or with characters, an OR operation of their pixels is visible in the corresponding areas. In this case, the color is taken from the character (white). When objects overlap exclusively, the object furthest back in the object table (see section "Internal Data Structures") determines the common color.
Hints[edit | edit source]
Controls[edit | edit source]
The player character can be controlled either with a joystick in port 2 or with the keyboard. The same applies to navigation and selection in the menu system, which can be accessed by pressing the fire button or the spacebar.
When using the keyboard, the following key mappings apply:
- SPACE : Start the game, access the menu system
- SHIFT / C= : Left / Right
- H / B : Up / Down
- F1 : Exit the game
The commands that solve the given task and ultimately save Gimbal are entered via a multi-level menu system, which Mastertronic calls "Windowmation". A first press of the joystick's fire button or the spacebar opens the main menu with the various command types. A cursor in the form of a pointing hand can be moved up and down to the desired menu item before it is activated with the fire button or spacebar. This then either opens a submenu with further options or executes the desired action.
The list of actions offered in the individual menus is not static but can expand with additional entries based on the items the knight is carrying and his current location.
Screen Layout[edit | edit source]
Movements[edit | edit source]
Within the castle, the magical knight usually travels on foot; stairs can be overcome by jumping. To get from one floor to another, an elevator can be used, located at the left end of each floor. Greater distances can also be covered by teleportation or with the help of the spell "PROJECT PHYSICAL BODY" (see also section "Spells").
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Commands[edit | edit source]
Pressing the fire button activates a multi-level menu system where you can select the desired action from the currently available commands and objects. This way, it's always clear which actions are possible in a given situation.
The following commands are always available:
- "P PICK UP OBJECT" picks up an object near the knight, provided he isn't already carrying the maximum of 5 items (otherwise, the message "Your hands are full" appears). If multiple objects are within range, one of them will be picked up.
- "D DROP OBJECT" places one of the carried objects on the ground. Sticky objects (a tube of glue and a sticky roll) cannot be dropped, but can only be passed to other characters and, under certain circumstances, thrown at other characters.
- "T TAKE OBJECT" takes an object from another character and transfers it to the Magic Knight, provided he is not already carrying the maximum of 5 objects. If a character refuses this command, putting him to sleep and trying again may help.
- "G GIVE OBJECT" gives an object belonging to the Magic Knight to another character, provided that character is not already carrying the maximum of 5 objects.
- "E EXAMINE" examines a character, an object, or the knight himself. In particular, this can be used to determine a person's power reserves and the magical properties of an object.
- "Z EXIT MENU" returns you from the menu system without performing any action, for example, after accidentally pressing the fire button.
Some commands appear in the menu only under certain conditions:
- "B BLOW SOMETHING" is only displayed if the knight has a musical instrument (elf horn, trumpet, or saxophone). Blowing the elf horn summons any character, while blowing the musical instruments has no effect ("What a racket! Apart from the noise, nothing happened"). Blowing on other objects is also possible, but only stirs up dust ("What a lot of dust! Doesn't anybody clean this place?").
- "C COMMAND A CHARACTER" requires that the knight is carrying the ward of command. In this case, other characters can be put to sleep, woken up, sent away, asked for help, strengthened (eat and drink), and made happy. By putting characters to sleep, strengthening them, and making them happy, the knight looks after them; waking them up and asking for help are often the only way to solve the tasks at hand. Sending them away is only necessary if a character who is urgently needed doesn't want to come because the current room is too crowded ("...does not want to come to such a crowded room!").
- "L LOCATE A CHARACTER" appears only if the knight possesses the crystal ball and is outside the elevator. It uses arrows to indicate the approximate direction of the character being sought.
- "S CAST A SPELL" requires the Knight to possess at least one item with magical powers. See the following list of spells for details.
- "V MOVE LIFT" is only available if the knight is inside the elevator.
- "W CALL LIFT" is only available in the leftmost room on each floor, in front of the elevator entrance.
- "X TELEPORT" transports the knight to the room containing the "Teleport Pad." This command is only offered if the knight is carrying the "Teleport Key." If he also has the "Teleport Pad" with him, or if he has given it to one of the characters, the transport fails with the message "It is not safe to teleport. Try again later."
- "Y THROW SOMETHING" only appears if the knight possesses at least one of the crystals. The function can then also be applied to all other carried objects (especially sticky items), allowing them to be thrown at any character. However, they simply land on the ground in front of the character in question, without any effect.
Spells[edit | edit source]
Many tasks can only be solved with the aid of spells. The list of spells can be accessed as soon as the knight carries at least one object with magical powers. The use of the spells, however, is usually tied to certain prerequisites, some of which can be gleaned from cryptic advice given during the game, while others can only be discovered through trial and error:
- "CRYSTALLIUM SPECTRALIS" requires that Orik the Cleric possesses the Crystal Ball and the Magic Knight possesses the White Gold Ring.
- "CANDELIUM ILLUMINATUS" ignites the engraved candle in room A3. The spell only works in the immediate vicinity of the four-leaf clover in room A1; in addition, the knight should first obtain the shield from room A6, which protects him from the flame when lighting the candle.
- "ARMOURIS PHOTONICUS" causes the knight's armor to glow permanently, making it unnecessary to carry an additional light source. The spell only works if the knight is standing in the viscous liquid in room B6.
- "FUMATICUS PROTECTIUM" provides permanent protection against the poisonous gas in Room B5. The spell requires the knight to possess two smelly items (the red herring from Room F3 and the "Power Pong" plant from Room A7).
- "PROJECT PHYSICAL BODY" quickly transports the knight to any character. The spell requires the magic talisman and the crystal ball.
- "RELEASE SPELL" only works if Gimbal is freed and the knight possesses the white gold ring and the magic talisman. Additionally, he must have previously lit the engraved candle with the "CANDELIUM ILLUMINATUS" spell.
- "QUITICUS GAMUS" ends the game without any prerequisites and is likely intended as a joke.
Tips[edit | edit source]
Some of the following hints contain location information in the form of room coordinates. These refer to the map in the following section "Solution". Some tips can be obtained during the game by asking the Banshee for help or reading the crystal ball.
- The elapsed game time, initially 48 hours, decreases by 1 every 5 minutes. Therefore, the player has a total of 48 x 5 minutes = 240 minutes = 4 hours of real time to rescue Gimbal.
- Numerous characters are so dazed that they need to be reminded to eat and drink from time to time. This is especially true for Thor, whose energy reserves decrease by 6% per minute, but also for Elrand Halfelven and Lady Rosmar (3% per minute each), as well as Samsun the Strong (1% per minute). If this care is neglected, the character in question will starve to death, and the game ends with the message "... has starved to death. It was your job to keep everybody alive and send them home safely. Not up to your usual standard magic knight."
- Furthermore, it is recommended to let the characters sleep regularly so that they are rested when their help is needed later. If the characters are in a bad mood and refuse to help, you can also instruct them to be happy.
- The magic knight loses one percentage point of his energy reserves with each transition from one room to the next and with each action sequence via the menu system — even if the action sequence ultimately leads to no result because it was canceled with "Z EXIT MENU" or "R REJECT COMMAND" or failed due to missing prerequisites. If his energy reserves drop to 0, the game ends.
- Collisions with the magic balls in rooms C3, D2, and E5 are detected after each screen refresh and each one costs 1% of the energy reserve, up to a maximum of 50% per second (at a refresh rate of 50 Hz). An unfavorable position, especially in rooms with four magic balls, can therefore very quickly lead to the end of the game.
- To replenish his energy reserves, the knight must regularly have Florin the dwarf give him the liquid-filled bottle from room A1. This will restore the magic knight's energy reserves to 95%. He can then return the bottle to Florin until the next "refueling."
- Room B3 should only be entered with a light source; otherwise, the knight will be fatally injured if he falls in the dark, and the game will end. Initially, this is the glowing bottle from room F3, later also the engraved candle from room A3 (lit with the spell "CANDELIUM ILLUMINATUS") or a glowing suit of armor (acquired with the spell "ARMOURIS PHOTONICUS").
- If you ask the banshee for help, she will give advice regardless of how far the knight has progressed in completing his task. By persistently asking, you will gradually receive a list of all the clues, but you should not be discouraged by repeated advice or by the answer "I THINK YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH HELP FROM ME."
Solution[edit | edit source]
The following sections present the shortest possible path to solving the game. In particular, longer distances are usually covered by teleportation, and only the necessary number of magical actions and objects are used.
Map[edit | edit source]
For better orientation, the map is provided with a grid and a coordinate system, to which all location references in the following text refer. The elevator on the far left can access every floor and is shown on the middle level only as an example.
Step by Step[edit | edit source]
To keep the following description concise, some verbs represent a group of actions. To "refresh" a character means performing the action sequence "Command a character", selecting the character from the list of those present, choosing the action "Eat & drink", confirming "Execute command", and acknowledging the feedback "... has taken refreshment." To "make them happy", the action "Be happy" must be selected in this sequence (feedback "... will try to be happy"), to "put them to sleep", the action "Go to sleep" (feedback "... has gone to sleep"), and to "wake them up", the action "Wake up" (feedback "... has woken up").
"Refreshing oneself with Florin" means having Florin hand you the liquid-filled bottle ("bottle of liquid") and then returning it to him. This involves selecting the action sequence "Take object", "Florin the Dwarf", "Bottle of Liquid", and then "Give object", "Bottle of Liquid", and "Florin the Dwarf."
One uncertainty factor in solving the puzzle is the current location of the characters. Even characters that the magic knight has explicitly put to sleep can wake up and move independently through the magic castle, making it necessary to search for them. Furthermore, after contact with the flying magic balls in rooms C3, D2, and E5, it may be necessary to refresh oneself with Florin unexpectedly. Should one of the characters be unwilling and uncooperative, the knight may have to make them happy.
- In room F3, take the glowing bottle and drop the advert. Then go all the way to the left to the elevator and pick up the teleport key in room E3 along the way.
- Call the elevator and go to the roof garden. In room A1, take the four-leaf clover and the bottle of liquid. In room H1, take the ward of command. [Note on the red herring: "TWO OF THE MOST USEFUL OBJECTS WILL START IN THE ROOF GARDEN"].
- On your way back to the elevator, strengthen Lady Rosemary and make her happy. Place the four-leaf clover in the elevator, then teleport (to room G3), then go left to room D3 and wake up Florin the Dwarf there. Give him the liquid-filled bottle and then strengthen yourself with it. [Note on the red herring: A certain bottle will be useful if given to Florin and then taken back (due to Florin's magical powers)", Banshee's note: "The proof is in the bottle. Lend it to Florin and gain strength by your actions when you claim it back."].
- Teleport (to room G3), then go right to room H3 and strengthen Thor there. Go all the way to the left to the elevator, picking up the teleport pad in room G3 and the red herring in room F3 along the way, and place both in the elevator.
- Take the elevator to the 2nd floor, go to room A4 and ambush/strengthen/put to sleep Samsun the Strong, then take the Elf-horn from him. In room D4, ambush/strengthen/put to sleep Elrand Halfelven and take Thor's Hammer (Miolnir) from him.
- Teleport back to the elevator. Blow the elf-horn and summon Thor, hand him his hammer (note in Thor's description: "THOR WANT'S HAMMER BACK") and ask him for help (note in Thor's description: "THOR IS READY TO HELP YOU WHEN YOU ASK"). Thor will repair the elevator so that it can now access all floors (note in the crystal ball: "THE MIST CLEARS TO SHOW THOR HELPING YOU IN THE LIFT"). Then strengthen/put Thor to sleep and pick up the red herring.
- Take the elevator to the basement, place the glowing bottle in room A7, and use it to release the Banshee. Pick up the Power-Pong Plant instead. Cast the spell "FUMATICUS PROTECTIUM": The knight is now protected from the gas in room B5. [Note in the Book of Shadows: "TO CAST THE SPELL OF FUMATICUS PROTECTIUM YOU WILL REQUIRE TWO VERY SMELLY OBJECTS"]. Put the herring and the Power-Pong Plant back down.
- Return to the elevator, blow the elf-horn, and summon Florin. Put him to sleep and refresh yourself with him.
- Take the elevator to the ground floor and collect the shield and pocket laser. Then, in room B6, stand in the strange liquid and cast the spell "ARMOURIS PHOTONICUS." From now on, the magic knight's armor will glow. [Banshee's note: "A distant cousin of mine is pretending to be a pool of liquid. A spell could be used to both of you."] Teleport back to the elevator.
- Place the teleport key in the elevator. Go to the third floor and pick up the engraved candle in room A3. Back in the elevator, cast the spell "CANDELIUM ILLUMINATUS": The candle burns with a cold light that possesses magical power. [Banshee's note: "CANDLE LIGHT CANDLE BRIGHT FOUR LEAF CLOVER FROM THE NIGHT WITHOUT THE LOT YOUR CHANCE IS SLIGHT."] Place the candle and shield in the elevator.
- Take the elevator to the ground floor, blow the elf-horn in room B6, and summon Rosemary. Give her the pocket laser and ask for her help: Rosemary inserts the appropriate fuse into the laser, burns a hole in the wall, and opens the entrance to the secret tunnel (see the left animation in the following gallery). Put Lady Rosemary to sleep.
- Take the elevator to the 4th floor. Wake/strengthen Thor, then blow the elf-horn in room A2, summon Thor, and ask for his help. Thor will hurl a lightning bolt, which, while not causing the tower to collapse, destabilizes the wall in room E4. Strengthen/put Thor to sleep.
- Return to the elevator and pick up the teleport key, then go to the 1st floor and collect the tube of glue in room E5 and the trumpet in room H5. Then teleport back to the elevator and give the tube of glue to Florin. Strengthen yourself at Florin's.
- Take the elevator to the 2nd floor, then wake/strengthen Elrand in room D4 and give him the trumpet [Note in Elrand's description: "ELRAND IS VERY MUSICAL"]. If the trumpet is unavailable, the saxophone from room D3 can be used instead. In room E4, blow the elf-horn, summon Elrand, and ask him for help. Elrand will blow the trumpet or saxophone, causing the wall to collapse. [Crystal ball note: "YOU CAN SEE A WALL COME CRASHING TO THE GROUND. THERE IS A NOISE AND AN IMAGE OF AN OLD RELIGIOUS BOOK WRITTEN IN HEBREW", reference to Joshua 6:20]. Pick up the two fallen pieces of brickwork (see the middle animation in the gallery below) and teleport back to the elevator.
- Take the elevator to the 4th floor and build a step in room A2 from the two pieces of brickwork (see the right animation in the gallery below). Use it to climb the tower and pick up the red crystal. Take it back to the elevator and place it there.
- Traverse the entire 4th floor. Pick up the green crystal in room D2 and the javelin in room H2, then teleport back to the elevator. Place the green crystal there.
- Take the elevator to the 2nd floor and strengthen/put to sleep Elrand and strengthen/enhance Samsun. Then take the elevator to the ground floor, blow the elf-horn in room F6, and summon Samsun. Give Samsun the javelin [Crystal ball message: "A spirit appears and tells you that Samsun will be of use if you give him the javelin"], and ask him for help: Samsun bridges the gap with his platform (see the bottom animation in the gallery below). Put Samsun to sleep.
- Pick up the broken talisman in room F6 [Note on the key: "THE MAGIC TALISMAN CAN BE OF MUCH USE IF YOU CAN MEND IT. (OR GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO MEND IT)"] and teleport back to the elevator. Wake Florin there, give him the talisman, and ask him for help: Florin repairs the talisman [Note from the Banshee: "FLORIN THE DWARF IS GOOD AT MENDING THINGS"]. Recharge with Florin.
- Take the elevator to the 2nd floor. In room G6, pick up the blue crystal and the white gold ring, restoring/strengthening/putting to sleep Orik the Cleric along the way, and then teleport back.
- Take the elevator to the ground floor, place all your items except the teleport key in room H6, and then teleport back to the elevator. In the elevator, pick up the green and red crystals and the crystal ball, strengthen yourself with Florin, and finally receive the magic talisman from him. Carry everything to room H6, place the crystals there, and pick up the elf-horn and the wand instead.
- Blow the elf-horn, summon Florin, and put him to sleep. Then, use the spell "PROJECT PHYSICAL BODY" to teleport to Orik the Cleric and wake him up. Return to Florin with another "PROJECT PHYSICAL BODY." Blow the elf-horn, summon Orik, give him the crystal ball, and pick up the white gold ring. Then cast the spell "CRYSTALLIUM SPECTRALIS" [Incomplete note on the ancient scroll: "YE UNBINDE SPELL: HOLD IN THY HAND A MOST MAGIC OBJECT YOU CAST THEE ONCE THY SPELL OF CRY..."]: Gimbal is almost free. Put the teleport key away and put Orik to sleep.
If Orik absolutely refuses the call of the elf-horn, you can also go to him, give him the crystal ball, and then return to Gimbal on foot to cast "CRYSTALLIUM SPECTRALIS". - Pick up the three colored crystals one after the other and throw them at Gimbal in any order, then strengthen yourself at Florin's. Then cast the spell "RELEASE SPELL": Gimbal is ready to return all characters to the correct place and time. Retrieve the crystal ball from Orik and put the white gold ring away.
- Move to an adjacent room and summon Elrand, Samsun, Thor, Rosmar, the Banshee, Florin, Orik, and Gimbal in succession by blowing the Elf Horn (the order is determined by the portraits in the gallery in rooms H4, D4, and C4, from right to left [Banshee's note: "THEY THAT WOULD BE FIRST SHALL BE LAST AND THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST"]). If this fails because the character is asleep or unwilling, then go to the character (on foot or with the spell "PROJECT PHYSICAL BODY"), wake them up or make them happy, and then summon them again from an adjacent room with the Elf Horn. Before summoning Florin, refresh yourself with him one last time. After summoning Gimbal, the mission is complete and the game is solved.
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Cheats[edit | edit source]
The CSDb contains several cracks with a variety of trainer functions:
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Internal Data Structures[edit | edit source]
The numbers of the rooms where the characters are located are stored in 8 consecutive bytes at address $C95E. As long as the banshee is still trapped in the glowing bottle, this is indicated by a room number of 99 at address $C965. The location of the magic knight (which is also the currently displayed room in the castle) is stored in memory cell $03B0. The elevator has the room number 0, and all other rooms are numbered sequentially from left to right (roof garden from 1 to 8, 4th floor from 9 to 16, 3rd floor from 17 to 24, etc.). The basement room has the room number 49.
The position of the elevator is found in memory cell $C525, coded as the number of the room one would enter upon exiting the elevator. A value of 1 in memory cell $C525 indicates that the elevator is at the roof garden level, while a value of 49 indicates that it is in the basement.
The powers and reserves of the Magic Knight and all characters are stored in a 72-byte table, starting at address $CBF6, in which 8 bytes are reserved for each character. The first 5 bytes (offsets 0-4) of each entry contain the values for Strength, Happiness, Stamina, Spell Power, and Food Level. The most significant bit in the byte at offset 6 indicates whether the character is asleep (bit set) or awake (bit cleared).
If the Magic Knight requests food and drink from a character, their Strength is restored to 100%, and the required amount is subtracted from their Food Level. If the Food Level is depleted, the restoration fails with the message "... has no food left".
Starting at address $CB54, a 45-byte table is stored in which the items currently carried by each character are recorded in 5 bytes. The identification number (Id) for each object is stored according to the table of objects listed below; if a character has fewer than 5 items, the unused bytes are set to 0.
The following table shows the initial values for all characters and the address at which they are stored:
| Figur | Address of Room | Room | Address of Inventory | Inventory | Address of State | Strength | Happiness | Stamina | Spell Power | Food Level | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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$03B0 | 21 | $CB54 | 43 | $CBF6 | 69 | 17 | 82 | 14 | 62 | - |
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$C95E | 48 | $CB59 | - | $CBFE | 90 | 70 | 30 | 250 | 100 | GIMBAL IS TRAPPED IN A WHITE-OUT SOMEWHERE GIMBAL IS READY TO CAST A RELEASE SPELL |
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$C95F | 24 | $CB5E | - | $CC06 | 100 | 65 | 41 | 10 | 210 | THOR WANT'S HIS HAMMER BACK THOR IS READY TO HELP YOU WHEN YOU ASK |
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$C960 | 20 | $CB63 | 4 | $CC0E | 40 | 60 | 52 | 15 | 250 | FLORIN LIKES SINGING (ABOUT GOLD MOSTLY) |
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$C961 | 32 | $CB68 | - | $CC16 | 50 | 55 | 63 | 55 | 180 | ORIK IS LEARNING MAGIC BY POST |
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$C962 | 28 | $CB6D | 29,38 | $CC1E | 100 | 50 | 74 | 5 | 200 | SAMSUN IS A LITTLE BIT STUPID |
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$C963 | 25 | $CB72 | 3,28 | $CC26 | 60 | 45 | 75 | 60 | 250 | ELRAND IS VERY MUSICAL |
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$C964 | 4 | $CB77 | 24,18 | $CC2E | 80 | 40 | 76 | 5 | 165 | LADY ROSMAR IS VERY CLEVER |
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$C965 | 99 | $CB7C | - | $CC36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | THE BANSHEE IS QUIET AT THE MOMENT |
Starting at address $C588, a table with 50 entries, each 3 bytes long, is stored in main memory, recording the location of each item in the game. The first byte of this group of three contains the room (in the form of a room number in the range 0...49) where the item is currently located; if the Magic Knight or one of the other characters possesses the item, or if it does not yet exist or no longer exists, this is indicated by the room number "99". The following two bytes store the object's exact position within the space.
At address $C6B4, there is a 50-byte table containing the weights of all objects, and starting at address $C74B, another 50-byte table containing their magical powers.
| Id | Address | Item | Weight | Disposable? | Readable? | Magic Power | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $C588 | - | Nothing at all | 0 | - | - | - | A dummy object that fills the 5-byte inventory list of each character if they do not carry the maximum possible number of 5 items. |
| 1 | $C58B |  |
Ancient Scroll | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "YE UNBINDE SPELL: HOLD IN THY HAND A MOST MAGIC OBJECT YOU CAST THEE ONCE THY SPELL OF CRY..." The rest of the scroll is unreadable! |
| 2 | $C58E |  |
Book of Shadows | 1 | Yes | Yes | 10 | Content: "CASTING SPELLS: TO CAST THE SPELL OF FUMATICUS PROTECTIUM YOU WILL REQUIRE TWO VERY SMELLY OBJECTS" |
| 3 | $C591 |  |
Miolnir | 25 | Yes | No | 12 | Belongs to Thor and must be given to him so he can help the magical knight. It must not be asked back under any circumstances, otherwise: "THOR IS ANGRY. A THUNDER STORM ERUPTS FROM THE END OF HIS MIGHTY HAMMER MIOLNIR "DIE MORTAL" CRIES THOR AND A BOLT OF LIGHTNING STRIKES YOU DEAD." |
| 4 | $C594 |  |
Axe | 10 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 5 | $C597 |  |
Sticky Bun | 1 | No | No | 0 | It cannot be put down, but can be passed to other figures and possibly thrown |
| 6 | $C59A |  |
Crystal Ball | 2 | Yes | Yes | 35 | Contents: "YOU CAN SEE A WALL COME CRASHING TO THE GROUND. THERE IS A NOISE AND AN IMAGE OF AN OLD RELIGIOUS BOOK WRITTEN IN HEBREW", "A SPIRIT APPEARS AND TELLS YOU THAT SAMSUN WILL BE OF USE IF YOU GIVE HIM THE JAVELIN", "THE MIST CLEARS TO SHOW THOR HELPING YOU IN THE LIFT" "IN THE MIDST OF A MIST YOU CAN SEE A TAROT CARD WHICH MEANS DEATH AND DESTRUCTION OR THE DEMOLISHING OF HOPES AND PRIDE" "THE CRYSTAL BALL IS TOO CLOUDY AND THERE ARE NO IMAGES THAT CAN BE READ AT THIS TIME" |
| 7 | $C59D |  |
Ward of Command | 1 | Yes | No | 37 | - |
| 8 | $C5A0 |  |
Javelin | 5 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 9 | $C5A3 |  |
Cannon Ball | 20 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 10 | $C5A6 |  |
Tube of Glue | 1 | No | No | 0 | It cannot be put down, but can be passed to other figures and possibly thrown |
| 11 | $C5A9 |  |
Broken Talisman | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 12 | $C5AC |  |
Magic Talisman | 1 | Yes | No | 85 | - |
| 13 | $C5AF |  |
Runestone | 10 | Yes | Yes | Inscription can only be read if one carries the Book of Runes: "TANGY WALDATE TART: 300 LEMONS, 30 KG CASTOR SUGAR, 15 KG SEMOLINA, 68 KG SHORTCUST PASTRY MIX, 15 KG WALNUTS, 30 KG DATES, 30 KG MARGARINE, 300 EGGS, ICING SUGAR" | |
| 14 | $C5B2 |  |
Broken Glass | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | The residue from setting down the glowing bottle can be used as a magnifying glass to read the inscription on the engraved candle. |
| 15 | $C5B5 |  |
Book of Runes | 1 | Yes | Yes | 57 | Content: "ALL THE RUNES THAT YOU WILL FIND WERE WRITTEN BY THE ANCIENT GIANTS OF GORFLAND. THEY ARE OF NO USE TO YOU SINCE MOST ARE SIMPLY COOKING RECIPES" |
| 16 | $C5B8 |  |
Glowing Bottle | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "THE LABEL READS 'FIZZY POP LEMONADE WITH EXTRA ADDED RADIUM WILL MAKE YOU THE TALK OF ANY PARTY.' It breaks upon being set down, releasing the enclosed bashee; broken glass remains: "YOU DROPPED THE BOTTLE TO THE GROUND AND NOW THERE IS A WAILING SOUND AN ANCIENT SPIRIT YOU WILL SEE FOR YOU HAVE RELEASED ...... BANSHEE" |
| 17 | $C5BB |  |
Gold Goblet | 5 | Yes | No | 17 | - |
| 18 | $C5BE | - | Fast Blow Fuse | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | The fast blow fuse is in the possession of Lady Rosmar, who refuses to part with it under any circumstances. Consequently, the item is never seen in the game and has no graphical representation. It is required to activate the pocket laser. |
| 19 | $C5C1 |  |
Red Herring | 1 | Yes | Yes | 25 | Content: "HERE ARE SOME CLUES: TWO OF THE MOST USEFUL OBJECTS WILL START IN THE ROOF GARDEN. A CERTAIN BOTTLE WILL BE USEFUL IF GIVEN TO FLORIN AND THEN TAKEN BACK (DUE TO FLORIN'S MAGICAL POWERS). NOW READ THE KEY" |
| 20 | $C5C4 |  |
Brick | 25 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 21 | $C5C7 |  |
Green Crystal | 2 | Yes | No | 33 | - |
| 22 | $C5CA |  |
Blue Crystal | 2 | Yes | No | 33 | - |
| 23 | $C5CD |  |
Red Crystal | 2 | Yes | No | 33 | - |
| 24 | $C5D0 |  |
Willow Rod | 1 | Yes | No | 31 | - |
| 25 | $C5D3 |  |
Lump of Brickwork | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 26 | $C5D6 |  |
Bottle of Liquid | 2 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "THE LABEL READS "RESTORATIVE FLUID 100% PROOF"" |
| 27 | $C5D9 |  |
Four Leaf Clover | 1 | Yes | No | 16 | - |
| 28 | $C5DC |  |
Loaf of Elf-Bread | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 29 | $C5DF |  |
Platform | 80 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 30 | $C5E2 | |
Gold Bar | 30 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 31 | $C5E5 |  |
Pewter Tankard | 1 | Yes | Yes (?) | 0 | Unreadable, even though supposedly readable |
| 32 | $C5E8 |  |
White gold ring | 1 | Yes | No | 100 | Is the most magical object in the castle |
| 33 | $C5EB |  |
Engraved candle | 1 | Yes | Yes | 77 | The inscription can only be read if you carry the broken glass (the remains of the luminous bottle that broke when it was put down), as this can be used as a magnifying glass: "LIGHT CANDLE WITH CARE USING AN APPROPRIATE SPELL. DISCLAIMER: THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS HOWSOEVER CAUSED RESULTING FROM THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS CANDLE" |
| 34 | $C5EE |  |
Strange Liquid | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 35 | $C5F1 |  |
Mirror | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 36 | $C5F4 |  |
Pocket Laser | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "THE LABEL SAYS:- 240 AC 50 HZ MAXIMUM RATING 1 WATT. USE CORRECT FUSE" |
| 37 | $C5F7 |  |
Prism | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 38 | $C5FA |  |
Elf-Horn | 1 | Yes | No | 81 | - |
| 39 | $C5FD |  |
Saxaphone | 1 | Yes | Yes | 46 | Content: "THERE IS A LABEL FIXED TO THIS SAXAPHONE. IT READS "SID THE FISH WAS HERE". IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A CLUE TO ME" |
| 40 | $C600 |  |
Trumpet | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 41 | $C603 |  |
Instruction Book | 2 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "GIMBAL THE WIZARD HAS BEEN MAKING A MESS OF HIS SPELLS AGAIN! HE HAS MANAGED TO BIND YOU AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE IN A SUMMON SPELL. YOU MUST RETURN EVERYBODY TO THEIR CORRECT TIME/SPACE ZONES BUT FIRST YOU HAVE TO RESCUE GIMBAL WHO HAS GOT HIMSELF TRAPPED IN A WHITE-OUT SPELL." |
| 42 | $C606 |  |
Key | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "MORE CLUES: THE MAGIC TALISMAN CAN BE OF MUCH USE IF YOU CAN MEND IT. (OR GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO MEND IT) |
| 43 | $C609 |  |
Advert | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "GAME CONCEPT AND DESIGN BY DAVID JONES. PROGRAMMED BY RICHARD DARLING. WHT NOT GO OUT AND BUY OUR LAST GAMES CALLED FINDERS KEEPERS AND MASTER OF MAGIC" |
| 44 | $C60C | |
Lump of Brickwork | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 45 | $C60F |  |
Empty Bottle | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Inscription: "THE LABEL READS "RESTORATIVE FLUID 100% PROOF" |
| 46 | $C612 |  |
Power-Pong Plant | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Inscription: "THE PLANT SAYS 'FEED ME SYMORE!' HOW STRANGE!" |
| 47 | $C615 |  |
Shield | 1 | Yes | No | 0 | - |
| 48 | $C618 |  |
Teleport Key | 1 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Inscription: "THERE IS A YIN-YANG SYMBOL ON THIS KEY." |
| 49 | $C61B |  |
Teleport Pad | 20 | Yes | Yes | 0 | Content: "THE TELEPORT PAD IS THE PROPERTY OF LAO TSE INC. ESTABLISHED 6000 BC. MADE IN CHINA." |
Votes[edit | edit source]
| Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote): | ||
| 8.00 points at 1 vote. You need to be logged in to cast a vote. | ||
| Crash Magazine | 95% (Use of computer 96%, Graphics 89%, Playability 91%, Getting started 92%, Addictive qualities 89%, Value for money 98%) | Christmas Special 1985 |
| ZZap! 64 | 94% (Presentation 94%, Graphic 80%, Sound 67%, Hookability 93%, Lastability 94%, Value For Money 99%) | Issue 14/1986 |
| Computer and Video Games | 8/10 (Graphics 7/10, Playability 9/10, Value for Money 10/10, Addictiveness 8/10) | Issue 51 (January 1986) |
| ZX Computing | 5/5 (Graphics 5/5, Addictiveness 5/5) | February/March 1986 |
| Computer Gamer | Originality 5/5, Graphics 4/5, Use of machine 5/5, Value for money 5/5 | Issue 10 (January 1986) |
| Your Sinclair | Graphics 8/10, Sound 8/10, Value 10/10, Playability 10/10 | Issue 2 (February 1986) |
| Sinclair User | 5/5 | No. 46 (January 1986) |
| Your Computer | 4/5 | Vol. 6 No. 4 (April 1986) |
| C64Games | 7 | June 8, 2022 - 20249 downs |
| Lemon64 | 7,9 | June 8, 2022 - 48 votes |
| Universal Videogame List | 4.4/5 | 17. Februar 2023 |
Critics[edit | edit source]
Stephan64: "Back then, I really struggled with Spellbound... Magazines with solutions were either unavailable or prohibitively expensive with my pocket money, and while targeted manipulation of the machine code could overcome some obstacles, it didn't really get me any closer to the solution. From today's perspective, however, the game is definitely solvable by carefully collecting all the clues and a bit of trial and error, and it's also fun and entertaining. Therefore, I give it 8 out of 10 points."
Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]
Cover[edit | edit source]
Inlay[edit | edit source]
Cassette[edit | edit source]
Fastloader[edit | edit source]
The cassette version of Spellbound uses an integrated software fast loader, which is automatically activated during loading and speeds up the loading process by a factor of approximately 3.5.
The fast loader is capable of sequentially loading any number of program segments to any location in memory. Each such program segment is preceded by a 4-5 byte data structure containing the start and end addresses of the subsequent data block. Thanks to optimized encoding (shorter intervals for 0 and 1 bits, no parity bit and byte, no duplicate storage of program data), loading Spellbound takes only about five and a half minutes, whereas the KERNAL's datasette routines would take more than a quarter of an hour for a file of this size.
During loading, the loading screen is read first, a multicolor bitmap graphic divided into four blocks (8000 bytes [bitmap at $E000-$FF3F, 1000 bytes video RAM at $CC00-$CFE7, 1000 bytes Color RAM at $D800-$DBE7, and the associated 48-byte VIC configuration at $D000-$D02F). This is followed by the actual program, divided into four sections (21 kByte at $0C00-$5FFF, 19 kByte at $8000-$CBFF, 1 kByte at $CC00-$CFFF, and 4 kByte at $E000-$EFFF). Since the last two sections overwrite the loading screen's graphics data, another 48-byte VIC configuration is inserted between the second and third sections to disable the screen display.
Curiously, the loading process is controlled by a BASIC program originally developed for loading from a floppy disk (see the middle and right images in the gallery below). This program precedes the binary data, is loaded into the memory area $0801-$0951 in a first step, and is started by calling the RUN command at ROM address $A871. Since the LOAD vector at address $0330/$0331 is redirected to the fast loader, this program also works with the Datasette and, among other things, takes on the task of setting the VIC memory bank for displaying the loading screen (line 60) and starting the game after the loading process is complete (line 120). What's also interesting about this program is the meager `listing protection` in lines 115 and 120 — the inverse "T" characters represent the "Delete" character (PETSCII 20) and, when the program is listed, delete the preceding command, so that it is overwritten by the following comment. These inverse "T" characters can be entered by pressing the DEL key successively with and without the SHIFT key.
Since the fastloader loads this BASIC program absolutely at address $0801, but the RUN instruction expects a program relative to the start of the BASIC memory, loading "Spellbound" fails if the beginning of the BASIC memory is moved before the LOAD instruction is entered (for example, with the instruction sequence POKE 4096,0:POKE 43,1:POKE 44,16:NEW), as shown in the left image of the gallery.
The binary data on tape is divided into subsections of 256 bytes each. Between these, 1-3 short blocks are inserted, which the fast loader uses to partially overwrite itself (self-modifying code). In this way, the load routine can, for example, return to execute the BASIC control routine after each complete reading of a program block. This division of the tape data into a total of 623 individual sections, each with a preceding header, increases the amount of data by more than 20%, so that loading takes about a minute longer than necessary.
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Video Recording[edit | edit source]
Longplay of "Spellbound"
Trivia[edit | edit source]
Numerous tutorials and collections of tips for the game "Spellbound" exist in both magazine and electronic form. The solutions described there differ in some respects from the procedure described in the "Solution" section under "Step by Step" and mention requirements that are not found in the C64 version of the game:
- Allegedly, only the trumpet, but not the saxophone, is suitable for bringing down the wall in room E4.[1]
- The position of the portraits in rooms H4, D4, and C4 is said to change from game to game, so that the characters are not always sent home in the same order.[2]
- The protection against poisonous gases created by the spell "FUMATICUS PROTECTIUM" is said to last only for a limited time[3]
- For the spell "CRYSTALLIUM SPECTRALIS", it is additionally necessary to give Orik the Clerik the "Book of Shadows"[4]
- With the help of the engraved candle, it should be possible to read the ancient Scroll in Room A2 in its entirety[5]
- The spell "CRYSTALLIUM SPECTRALIS" should be cast no earlier than 36 hours before the end of the game [6]
- To complete the task 100%, it is necessary to jump to the images in the gallery, as this contributes 1% to the overall result [7]
The existence of these requirements has not yet been verified on other platforms.
Highscore[edit | edit source]
With the "step-by-step" solution given above, anyone should be able to completely solve "Spellbound" in about half an hour, so a high score list is of little use. However, anyone who — like the author of this article — seemingly spent a large part of their youth struggling with the obstacles and puzzles in the magic castle Karn is nevertheless cordially invited to immortalize their achievements here.
- Stephan64 - 100% (08.06.2022)
- Niemand - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)
- Leer - 0 (tt.mm.jjjj)
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| #2 Niemand | #3 Leer |
Links[edit | edit source]
- C64Games.de - Game No. 4753
- Gamebase64.com - Game No. 7181
- Lemon64 - Game No. 2409
- C64.com - Game No. 1784
- ready64 - Game No. 638
- The SixtyFour Originals DataBase - Game No. 33
- CSDb - Release No. 108968
- CSDb All entries
- Universal Videogame List
- Magazine
- Happy Computer test report (p. 163)
- Sinclair User test report (p. 119)
- Crash Magazine test report (p. 26)
- Computer and Video Games test report (p. 17)
- Computer and Video Games map and tips (p. 64)
- Computer Gamer test report (p. 56)
- Popular Computing test report (p. 47)
- Your Computer test report (p. 47)
- Your Sinclair test report (p. 27)
- ZX Computing test report (p. 39)
- ZZap64 test report
- Test Report No. 2924 on Kultboy.com
Videos[edit | edit source]
Sources[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Computer and Video Games, Issue 58 (August 1986), p. 64
- ↑ Electronic documentation in Csdb Release 108968
- ↑ Electronic documentation in CSDb Release 108968
- ↑ Electronic documentation in Csdb Release 108968
- ↑ Computer and Video Games, Issue 58 (August 1986), p. 67
- ↑ Entry "Spellbound" in "The Tipshop"
- ↑ Crash, Issue 33 (October 1986), p. 72
